Download pptx - Activate Networks - Driving Innovation Through Social Networks - Rob Cross 2012

© 2012 Activate Networks, Inc.

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Driving Innovation Through Social Networks

Prof. Rob Cross, University of VirginiaWebinar - Thur. Oct. 25, 2012


1.Network Dimensions Underlying Innovation

2.Network Traps Derailing Innovation

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Networks are often under-appreciated in comparison to the formal structure.

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Formal Structure

Sutherland

Smith

Crossley

Dhillon

Zaheer

Keller

Angelo

Schultz

Cordoza

Klimchuck

Mitchell

McWatters

Myers

Ramirez

Avery

Mares

Hopper

Hussan

Milavec

Waring

Informal Structure

Exploration & Production

Zaheer

Schultz

Mitchell

Klimchuck

Angelo

Keller

Smith

GeologyDhillon

Myers

PetrophysicalCrossley

ExplorationAvery

Cordoza

Sutherland

Ramirez

DrillingMcWatters

Waring

ProductionHussan

ReservoirHopper

ProductionMilavec

Senior Vice PresidentMares


Realizing Innovation Potential Across Select Collaborative Silos

= NA

= ASIA

Region

Issue– Well known consumer

products organization driven depth in R&D expertise by investing heavily in a number of core capabilities. Very successful in driving incremental innovation but breakthrough products and cross-expertise group innovations had stalled.

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Realizing Innovation Potential Across Select Collaborative Silos

= NA

= ASIA

Region

Solutions– Managing global connectivity:

Rotation and targeted attention to connecting key people across regions (e.g., strategically important growth hub in Asia).

– Developing select cross-expertise integration plans: Identified 42 cross-expertise points likely to yield breakthrough innovation and took steps to promote connectivity at those points.

– Replicating networks of high performing NPD teams: Profiled networks of successful teams and embedded project management and process practices to encourage relevant reaching out.

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Key Network Roles In Groups You Care About

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Central Connectors:1. Are central because they have a large number of connections…often

concentrated within a unit, geography, expertise domain or demographic.

2. Are important because they are key opinion leaders and impact innovation trajectories…yet can also be key susceptibilities (should they leave) and create a form of innovator’s dilemma.



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Brokers:1. Are central because they have more bridging connections across sub-

groups…typically across units, geographies, expertise domains, hierarchical levels, sub-cultures or demographics.

2. Are important because they tend to be effective at integrating different knowledge domains…yet are often less known than central connectors.



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Peripheral Players:1. Are peripheral because they have few network connections. Often

newcomers, experts and those managing work life balance.

2. Appropriate leverage of some (e.g., experts or new hires) ensures innovative ideas are not just brought into the organization but also become influential in the network.


Developing Network Responsiveness

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Solutions– Re-structure face to face

and virtual meeting formats: Employ mechanisms that create awareness of expertise and vision for integration.

– Paper or electronic expertise profiles: Critical to contain professional information that creates legitimacy and personal information that creates approachability.

– Web 2.0 technologies: Wikis and other tools can take work out of the network and build awareness of expertise.


1.Network Dimensions Underlying Innovation

2.Network Traps Derailing Innovation

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© 2012 Activate Networks, Inc. 11

Domination of networks by particular perspectives and expertise unwittingly creating an innovator’s dilemma trap.

Insularity keeping an organization from effectively leveraging external expertise.

Aventis

External to Aventis

Glimcher L

Fragmentation of networks at points that invisibly undermine efforts to innovate along desired trajectories.

Aventis

External to Aventis

Glimcher L

Insularity keeping an organization from effectively leveraging external expertise.

Hidden Network Biases to Innovation


Correcting Network Overload When It Is Stalling Innovation and Execution

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Example: 71 people identified Person A as an effective source of info and 27 responded that greater access to him is critical to improving their effectiveness.

Person A

Issue:– Hidden bottlenecks can

invisibly slow down the work of everyone (when these over-loaded people feel busy and like things are happening).


Correcting Network Overload When It Is Stalling Innovation and Execution

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Example: 71 people identified Person A as an effective source of info and 27 responded that greater access to him is critical to improving their effectiveness.

Person A

Solutions– Structural: Re-allocation of

decision-rights, providing broader information access, delegation/addition of roles and formalized decision-flows.

– Relational: Defining and re-routing routine decisions (e.g., various personnel decisions, travel, resourcing efforts, clinical protocol and protocol design, modeling and simulation).

– Skill Development: Building alternative sources of expertise, behavioral modeling and coaching.


Decreasing Relational Load Is Important For BOTH Performance and Engagement/Retention in Matrices

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Voice In A New Product Development Team

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Network Diagram Based on Response: In either one-on-one conversations or meetings, my interactions with each person below can typically be characterized as: extremely guarded -- I am unlikely to take risks with ill-formed thoughts or ideas.

On average, people identified 4.5 others with

whom they are “extremely guarded” in

terms of sharing thoughts and ideas. The minimum and maximum times that a person was cited by others was 1-13.


A Highly Energized Network…

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= Level 1

= Level 3= Level 2

Hierarchy

= Level 4

Question: “When you interact with this person, how does it affect your energy level?”


Energy (and Energizers) Matters More Than You Might Think…

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Energizers get more from those around them.― People are more engaged in a given conversation and are

more likely to devote discretionary time to these issues.

People tend to be more innovative and creative with energizers.

Energizers tend to win out in the internal labor market and with customers.

― Ability to motivate others is as, or more, important than knowing the answer. Energizers promote work satisfaction and

learning among those around them.

Energy spills over into follow-on interactions.― De-energizers can be deadly on this front.


Do You Create Energy Around You?

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Questions?

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